Anya Taylor-Joy On Dance, Discipline & The Power Of Conviction (2024)

Strolling on to the Vogue Hong Kong set, Taylor-Joy’s wide doe eyes reveal a piercing intensity. Stark blonde locks are contrasted with a delicate bounce and gentle curl. Her stately, elegant frame is punctuated by sharp angles – defined collarbones, a pointed jaw. And then she breaks into laughter, and all that felt untouchable is softened instantly by a wide, generous smile and sunny laugh. She’s barely had time to introduce herself, but her presence is undeniable.

This formidable sense of gravitas has lent itself immeasurably to her acting roles. Case in point: her most recent film as the titular Furiosa in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga. Taylor-Joy had 30 lines of dialogue throughout the film, yet she captured the nuanced humanity and deep rage of her character throughout. While a picture may be worth a thousand words, the depth of expression felt in Taylor-Joy’s eyes alone may be worth a million more. That, combined with her unwavering dedication and commitment to each and every role she plays, are what has made Taylor-Joy an unstoppable force to be reckoned with. From her strategic genius in The Queen’s Gambit to the visceral power of Furiosa, and her compelling presence in Dune: Part Two, Taylor-Joy has proven to be a generational talent unlike any other.

If you weren’t an actress, what do you think you would be doing?

I think I’d be a travel journalist. I really love to travel and getting to know other people’s cultures. I’ve realised that I’m a bit of an adrenaline junkie, so I think that plays into it. Or I’d be working with animals – I’ve always loved orcas and tigers specifically, so whatever would let me work with both of them. Oh, a National Geographic writer! That’s what I’d be doing.

Can you share the most memorable notes given to you by director George Miller throughout the filming process?

The dance between actor and director varies with each individual. George had this image of Furiosa as almost like a Clint Eastwood character, he wanted her to be incredibly stoic. And I felt like my contribution was that I’ve always felt like you need to see the humanity behind that, if you want people to fully invest in a character. George encourages you to be in almost like a university-type setting where every choice you have to justify – and you don’t justify it once. You justify it thousands of times if it’s going to make it in the movie. It was really great training for me not only as an actor but also as somebody that hopes to direct one day. Your conviction has to be unwavering if you want something to make it into one of his movies.

How did your love of dance and performance translate to acting? Do you think your formal training in ballet helped with fight choreography for the intense stunt scenes in Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga?

My background as a dancer has helped me with everything in my life. It’s not only the discipline that it instills in you. I danced ballet from ages 3 to 15, and it doesn’t matter if you go to a party; you’re up at five o’clock in the morning to get to that six o’clock dance lesson. I see acting as a rhythm thing; I almost hear it as music, and that helps so much with stunt choreography because you’re in a dance with every other performer around you, so you don’t only know your own beats, you know everybody else’s beats in order to keep everyone safe.

I relished the opportunity to be able to do as many stunts as I did, because there’s a very specific perfectionism that comes with stunts where you can do something kind of right or you can get it completely right and that’s not often the case in life. And I loved it.

What do you think is your favourite talent or skill that you’ve learned through acting?

The car stunts are pretty cool, especially if you’ve never driven before, and that’s the first thing you do in a car. What I love most about learning new skills are the people that teach me about them, because they’re obviously phenomenal in their field, and I’m attracted to any kind of passion.

I’m also very intrigued by what I’m able to do as a character that I wouldn’t be able to do as myself. So, Anya is very afraid of heights, and yet if you have my character jumping off a building, you will yell ‘action’ and I’ll do it. It’s this crazy mind trickery that happens where you think ‘I can’t do this – but she can’.

Some actors have said they keep journals as their characters or even create Spotify playlists as their character. Do you have a specific process for this?

Music always plays into it because you’re waking up at insane hours of the morning and then usually my characters have about two and a half three hours of hair and makeup in the morning and so music invariably creates a vibe that helps you step into that skin. Each character does show up differently, which is kind of terrifying. A lot of it is faith and just being like, ‘Okay, I’m not really sure what I’m going to do today, but something is going to appear, and I have to just be able to trust in myself that it’s the right move for them.’

I just played a character who’s a world-class sniper, and I found that a lot of her came from listening to the Sex Pistols. But also, from learning how to arm and disarm a gun. The amount of times that I did that just brought in a swagger to the way that she walked and looked at the world. It was like she was always looking at things through a scope, and she could decide what was available to her and what wasn’t.

You have said you are a huge Disney fan, with one of your earliest auditions being for a role in Maleficent. What is your dream Disney role?

Oh! I would love to do a musical because I’m a bit addicted to hard work. I like having an impossible mountain to climb. The idea of having to be able to sing, dance, and act at the same time would just really thrill me.

I think Frozen would be pretty great. It would be very fun to shoot ice out of your hand. Also, you’d just be the favourite at every kid’s birthday party. All of my siblings have children now, so I would love for them to be able to say ‘my auntie is Elsa.’ That would be pretty sick.

How do you feel your multicultural upbringing has shaped you as a person? What is the best and worst part about being a part of so many different cultures?

It has taken me a really long time to be able to just enjoy it as a strength rather than a feeling of ‘I’m not enough of anything to be able to fit in anywhere.’ A lot of things that are incredible strengths when you’re a kid, as an adult it feels like you just get a lot of programming or messaging back which is ‘you’re not from here.’ I think my favourite thing about my upbringing and part of the reason why I love to travel so much is because I have a lot of time and empathy and love for other people’s cultures. While I have a lot of pride in all the cultures that I come from, I really don’t think I’m better than anything or anyone. And I like that approach to the world. I see everything as an opportunity to learn rather than an opportunity to judge. Life is more fun that way.

Growing up and experiencing so many different cultures and parts of the world, what are your favorite comfort foods that you always crave?

I’m a big dulce de leche fan and a big empanada fan. In Argentina, we have churros but they have dulce de leche on the inside and it’s the best thing you’ve ever had in your life.

Not food, but what I miss most from the UK is my accent. It’s actually quite British but because I learned English at such a young age I mimic the people I’m around. I’m married to an American and I spend a lot of time in America so all of a sudden I will have a full Southern accent or a full Valley girl accent. I’m like ‘wait, where did my voice go?’ Truthfully, I sound the most like myself when speaking Argentine Spanish because that’s what I grew up speaking.

You grew up between Miami, London and Argentina and are constantly traveling due to work. What are some things that make you feel grounded and at home?

The people I’m around. When I first started acting, I was quite intent on proving myself to be a grown-up because even though by child actress standards I didn’t start young, I started the day after my 18th birthday. It was really important to me that I was always on my job as an individual and not somebody that needed to be handled with kid gloves.

I feel so lucky that for a lot of my big life moments, my family makes a real effort to be there and to share it. And I got a cat and I got a dog, and that changed my life.

Editor

Carina Fischer